My firstborn daughter came into this world at approximately 3.30am on this day. Verity Grace Lock weighed in at 7lb 8oz after a difficult labour and was delivered via an emergency cesarean. I think you’ll agree she is beautiful and she made me realise exactly what was missing in my life. Even as I type this, the thought of her fillls me full of love and my eyes become moist with emotion. I love her so much and I love her mother even more for bringing her to me.
Category: Diary
Today I nearly choked on my cornflakes for in the mail were two items of post that contained big bills. The first was the total sum to be paid to the estate agents: a whopping £8500. Wowser, I am in the wrong job. The second item was an application form from Menzines Distribution for me to fill in so that the newspaper delivery for our newsagents-to-be are transferred to me – the downside to this is that Menzies want a holding deposit of £3200. Ouch! So that’s about £12500 spent before I’d even finished my morning cup of tea.
Don’t fear. I have meticulously budgeted for this business and the house move and everything. Figures have been checked umpteen times and even though I shall have a hudge wodge of cash to spend on this stuff, at the moment I don’t have a brass farthing. Or as we’d say in the East End, I don’t even have a pot to piss in. Luckily, the agents fee will be paid on completion. I just wish the Menzies bill could be paid then too. It is fortunate that I had the foresight to clear my credit card bill last year so I have a credit buffer to pay these bills. You see, it was all a plan. Yup, I’ve been planning this for many, many years.
But this is just a little cash flow problem. Gee, I almost sound like a businessman already.
Well the baby is late. It obviously takes after the Missus. So we had to travel to Whipps Cross maternity unit for the Missus to be prodded and poked. For once we actually arrived early and got seen in good time. The young female doctor recommended two things to bring on the birth. Funnily enough, both suggestions I’d already made to the Missus and she was well impressed with my medical knowledge. Anyway, we were told that either a hot curry or sex would bring on the baby. Well The Missus isn’t a big curry fan and my labido takes a hit every time I try and contempate making a move on my heavily pregnany wife. It’s just not the done thing. This is the mother of my child – we weren’t put here to rut like common beasts.
So without either myself or the hot curry forthcoming, The Missus is booked to return to the hospital on the 15th where some hormon gel will be squirted into her over three hour periods until everything starts moving in a downward direction. Nice, innit? This is exactly 10 days before we are due to move house I might add.
What me, worry?
…or should that be B-Day or Estimated Due Date or whatever. Today, the baby was due to arrive. It didn’t. Funnily enough this day also marked nineteen years since me and The Missus stepped out together. I’ll never forget that day: meeting up at Stratford bus station, heading into town via the Docklands Light Railway and the new skyline including a just-finished Canary Wharf. Things have changed a lot since then, they’ve also stayed very much the same. I’m still the same kid trapped in a man’s body and sometimes, if I catch her in my peripheral vision, I can spy The Missus tutting at my childish antics. Oh well, that’s the price of being a man. We never grow up!
So today we went to the pub for a couple of hours to celebrate. One of the bar staff threatened to stop serving us if we returned again without the baby born.
This is a short interview thing that myself and The Missus recorded a couple of weeks back when we were testing out our new Canon HV-10 digital camcorder. Basically, it’s us talking about the pregnancy and what it means to us. A bit different, but enjoy! (It’s a big download of 50Mb + so be patient)
Direct download: CLICK HERE
The download total for August 2007 is another record breaker with a gob-droppingly-big 93Gb of data shifted. Don’t think I’ll ever top that little total…
At last it is all over. Contracts signed, sealed and delivered. Exchange has taken place and our moving date set. I am currently:
happy/sad
relieved/stressed
fearful/calm
I’ve dealt with solicitors many times when buying our previous properties and I’ve always been a little anxious on the day of exchange. You know, going into a dry, airless office and signing your life away is going to make the pulse race and your temples sweat. But yesterday was different. I’ve never felt so calm in my life. I was almost beautific.
I wanted change. I embrace change. Now everything changes all at once. I must me completely mad.